"Thinking about going to the gym burns between 0 and 0 calories" I feel as though people think that everyday I wake up motivated and ready to hit the gym. ERRRR...wrong. As much as I love lifting and fitness activities, that is definitely not always the case. There are days when I too wake up and have no desire... Full story »

Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking - spinach and protein...in a pancake?! If you can get past the name, I guarantee you will not be able to taste a single trace of spinach! These were super fluffy, moist, delicious and, best of all, super easy to make! Ingredients (for 4-5 pancakes): How to: Full story »

It is a rare occurrence to see the words healthy and poptarts in the same sentence, but with this super easy recipe you can enjoy the taste you love without the guilt. I cannot take full credit for this awesome recipe, though. One of the Instagram accounts I follow posted her own version, this is simply my twist and... Full story »

Admittedly, I only achieved one of my three goals for April - my deadlifting goal of 270 lbs, which I finally pulled yesterday. With my hand injury in my rugby night game, I am still unable to bench and squat heavy (something about the weight coming down on my hand still hurts). In the meantime, until my hand makes... Full story »

Two months ago at the gym a man approached me. He saw I was wearing a women's rugby t shirt and said "I didn't know women could play rugby." Well, not only can we play rugby, but we can play rugby in dresses. Yesterday, April 27, 2013, I played in my last rugby tournament as a Lebanon Valley College... Full story »

I posted this picture to my Instagram just the other day with a small caption describing why I chose that particular quote for my "Monday motivation:" "So many times in life we underestimate ourselves and put ourselves down - limiting our potential. How do we truly know if we can or cannot do something if we don't try? If... Full story »

I remember when I first started playing rugby. Telling your mom you are going to be playing a new sport is one thing, telling your mom you are going to be playing a new, full-contact, aggressive sport like rugby is a whole different story. It was intimidating at first, especially when you are one of the smallest on the... Full story »

In the past three months, I have been really pushing myself to my limits while training. I know the saying that we are the last ones to see the results of our hard work - so I was surprised at some of the remarks I have been getting more of lately (some good, some...confusing). Let's start with the good.... Full story »

If you like cookies, bananas and peanut butter (who doesn't?), then these are for you! They are cookies & cream crepes stuffed with natural peanut butter and bananas. Not only are they delicious, but they are also super easy to make (it took me a total of about 10 minutes to make everything). Ingredients: How to: Full story »

I have to blog about the awesome app I downloaded and used for the very first time today: MapMyRun. I didn't have access to a gym today, but still wanted to do some cardio. I figured I would go run a few miles at the track behind my house - the problem? It was locked and I absolutely hate not knowing how... Full story »

My Instagram followers have been loving my homemade oatmeal to go muffins so I am finally posting the recipe here so all my blog followers can enjoy them too! They are simple, delicious and a great on-the-go breakfast or snack. For the "plain" flavor you will need: Directions: (Makes about 3 mini muffins) My top three flavors that I... Full story »

In my increased amount of time spent in the gym, I have been getting the famous question "what are you training for?" more and more often. I don't mind casual talking in between sets every now and then or this question for that matter, but it really made me think -- what am I training for? Obviously I am in... Full story »

I follow Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine on Facebook because they are always posting relevant, motivational and informative material about fitness. Just the other day they posted a link with a few different fitness apps for the iPhone and Android, one of them being Fitocracy. Fitocracy is an app that is a fitness social media for anyone looking to... Full story »

Frozen chocolate peanut butter banana cookie bites The name of these delicious sweets may be long, but with only 8 simple, healthy ingredients they are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without spoiling your diet! Ingredients: How to: *Note: You can replace the protein powders to whatever flavor(s) you have. Full story »

I found the name of this blog as an Instagram hashtag. The results after searching "lift, laugh, love" on Instagram will bring up thousands of pictures of different people having fun while exercising. In honor of this hashtag, I decided I would squat my boyfriend. You read correct, here's the proof: I did this just as a reminder that no... Full story »

I planned for today to be my "cardio and abs" day at the gym, but a friend who is a certified trainer (and has way more deadlifting experience than me) came along with so I decided throw in some deadlifts. Deadlifting is one of the three categories in powerlifting competitions along with squating and benching. How to: (this exercise... Full story »

Most students look forward to Spring break for the time away from classes, homework and more downtime. While I too enjoy the time away from school, I love break for an entirely different reason: more time and energy to train, train, train. Here's my week in workouts: Monday: Arms (Bis/Tris) Standing dumbbell curl Triceps weighted bench dip Single arm... Full story »

Happy Friday! Today's workout is a total body workout that I found on Ella Kociuba's Instagram. It's a tough one and I love it! For each exercise, you do 3 sets (30-20-10) for a total of 60 reps of each. Set 1: Set 2: Set 3: *This workout is meant to be challenging. You should use weights that you are... Full story »